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"G.M.O.A.T." - Serena Williams' husband put up billboards saying she's the greatest momma of all time. Making him the greatest hubby of all time.

LET ME DOWNGRADE YOU

The Story

President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner lost his top security clearance.

Remind me.

Earlier this month, White House aide Rob Porter resigned after both of his ex-wives went public with allegations of abuse. The FBI knew about the accusations, which is why Porter never got a full security clearance. Problem, since Porter's job was to handle all kinds of sensitive docs that crossed Trump's desk. Porter was one of dozens of White House staffers - including Kushner - who still hadn't received permanent security clearances, but were still able to access top secret info. Chief of Staff John Kelly started doing some damage control to change that.

What's happening now?

Last week, these staffers got a memo saying their clearances would be downgraded. This means Kushner will have limited access to classified info. Big deal, since up until now he'd had access to the prez's daily brief - which is full of top secret info.

Why does this matter?

Kushner's security clearance has been delayed for months since his FBI background check still needs to be completed. That's because there's concern over some of Kushner's business connections and foreign contacts. And whether any of them could be used to try to influence the Trump admin. Turns that may not be far off. It came out yesterday that some countries reportedly discussed ways to manipulate Kushner's business ties to their advantage. Kushner is part of lots of decisions in the White House including peace in the Middle East. Unclear how this downgrade will change his involvement.

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This is raising questions about whether Kushner would still have a job if he didn't also have 'son-in-law' in his unofficial title.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What people are talking about...

North Korea and Syria. Yesterday, it came out that North Korea's been sending supplies to Syria that could be used to make chemical weapons. Reminder: Syria's been in a civil war for almost seven years. Syrian gov forces that support President Assad are fighting rebel forces there. Assad's forces have been accused of crimes against humanity, including chemical attacks on civilians. Now, a UN report says that North Korea may have helped out. The country sent Syria shipments of acid-resistant supplies in the last couple years. And they used a Chinese trading company to do it for them. Meaning Syria's getting help on possibly building up weapons to attack civilians while North Korea's been getting cash money that could go towards its nuke and missile programs. Not a good combo.

What to say when you hear about the Justice Dept's opioid task force...

The Supremes also have an announcement. Yesterday, the court ruled that immigrants that are detained and could be deported can be held without getting bond hearings. Back in '04, an immigrant with permanent legal status was convicted of having drugs on him and driving a car that wasn't his. He was detained for three years without a bond hearing while the gov decided whether to deport him. The ACLU took up his case and eventually won his release when the court said immigrants should be allowed a bond hearing every six months. The gov appealed during the Obama admin, and continued while President Trump's been in office. Now, the Supremes ruled that immigrants don't have the right to these bond hearings because immigration laws don't guarantee that. The ruling applies to any immigrant, including those who entered the US legally or are seeking asylum.

What to say when you hear Johnnie Walker is being replaced by Jane...

Pour some up for Starbucks. Yesterday, the company put on its fancy pants and opened the first of its new Reserve stores. Complete with a full bar. Plus a bakery, and you know, coffee. It's on the main floor of the company's Seattle HQ, but it plans to open 1,000 of these upscale stores in the next few years. In other business news, Comcast is shaking things up with its $31 billion offer to buy British broadcaster Sky. Last year, Disney announced it's buying a big part of media mogul Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox - which owns part of Sky. Part of the deal is to hand over its Sky ownership, but Murdoch put in a bid to buy the rest of Sky back in 2016 and is still waiting for a final decision. Now, Comcast is getting into the confusing mix and offering Sky more cash money than 21st Century Fox is. Awkward. It's not the first time a media company's been trying to consolidate power, but this deal pits two of the biggest names in the industry against each other. And could put a wrench in the Disney deal.

PS: 21stCenturyFox is aminorityinvestorin theSkimm

What to say when your plans become way too complicated...

Calling it off. Yesterday, a teachers' strike that closed public schools across West Virginia ended. Teachers in the state have been asking for better pay and healthcare. Last week, the state passed a law that would give them a 4% salary bump in the next few years. Teachers weren't impressed. So they put up an OOO message for a few days. The walkouts impacted more than a quarter of a million students. Now, West Virginia's gov said teachers will get a 5% raise this year. The deal still needs to pass in the state's House and Senate, but teachers will be back to work tomorrow.

What to say when you hear the moon's getting a phone network...

Amazon's getting new doorbells.

What to say when everyone keeps talking about something you've never heard of...

Is it Vero?

THING TO KNOW

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SKIMM LIFE

For when you splurge on dessert...

Skimm HQ's got a sweet tooth too. And is using this electric toothbrush to brush it real good. It's also super easy to travel with. Oh, and Skimm'rs get a discount off their first order. Sweeeet. Get yours here.*

For when you need some career inspo...

This will get you moving. Our guest on this week's episode of "Skimm'd from The Couch" is Sallie Krawcheck - Co-Founder and CEO of Ellevest. She started her own company after getting fired...twice. Listen here to get your inspiration on.

For when you're marking your calendar for November 6...

It's an election year. And women are more politically engaged than they have been in a long time. So theSkimm is teaming up with Vanity Fair's the Hive and Survey Monkey to better understand what this group is doing and thinking in the run-up to this midterm election. Here's what we found so far.

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